Vehicle road wheels and tires

ABSTRACT

A vehicle road wheel is disclosed having a safety groove adjacent its outboard rim edge but so as to be within a tire fitted to the wheel and within which a flexible band is fitted so that a tire fitted to the wheel has it outboard bead embraced between the flexible band and the outboard rim edge of the wheel. This enables the the configuration of the wheel rim to be simplified and hence the risk of damaging a tire when fitting it is minimized. The safety groove can be in a tire sealing member of annular form that is held in position around the wheel by inboard and outboard rim parts that are releasably secured together, this sealing member defining the outboard rim edge of the wheel. There are also disclosed, where the sealing member is present, inboard and outboard non-rigid torque transfer bands respectively fitted to the inboard and outboard rim parts and with which the sealing member is engaged.

This invention relates to vehicle road wheels and tires.

In order that tyres are safely retained on vehicle road wheels it hasbeen customary to provide so-called safety humps and ledges, on thewheels, with which the beads of the tires co-operate. The problemarises, however, that the height required for these humps safely toretain the very large tires used for competition purposes is such thatthe tire beads can be damaged by over-stretching during fitting to thewheels. As an alternative, safety pegs have been incorporated in wheelsfor competition purposes but these create potential leak-points leadingto tire deflation and they also constitute stress-raisers in the wheelrim. It is to be noted that the likelihood of beads becoming dislodgedis mainly relative to the outboard rim.

According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle roadwheel having a safety groove adjacent its outboard rim edge but so as tobe within a tyre fitted to the wheel, within which groove a flexibleband is fitted so that a tire fitted to the wheel has its outboard beadembraced between the flexible band and the outboard rim edge of thewheel. The provision of the safety groove and band enables theconfiguration of the wheel rim to be simplified and hence the risk ofdamaging a tire when fitting it is minimised, particularly in caseswhere an exceptionally high safety hump is required as discussed above.

It is, furthermore, conventional practice to provide a vehicle roadwheel to which can be fitted a tubeless tyre, the wheel itself servingto provide the necessary air-tight seal (by the engagement between itsrim and the tire), and being sufficiently stiff to withstand the bendingand rotational stresses generated, in use, between the mounting hub, thewheel and the tire. These functions that the wheel has to perform imposerequirements on the structure of the wheel and according to the presentinvention there is also provided a tire sealing member of annular formon which a tire can be fitted so as to be sealed for inflation, the tyresealing member with a tire fitted to it being for assembly with avehicle road wheel of split rim form having inboard and outboard rimparts that can be releasably secured together to hold the sealing memberin position around the rim parts. The invention also provides anassembly of a tire sealing member as just defined and a vehicle roadwheel having inboard and outboard rim parts releasably secured togetherto hold the sealing member in position around the rim parts, the sealingmember being releasable from the rim parts by separating these parts.Since it is the sealing member that seals a tire fitted to it, it can beutilised with a wheel of which the rim parts do not have to be designedto perform this function and their configuration can therefore be chosento suit the need to retain the sealing member and tire fitted thereto onthe rim parts, without consideration being given also to a need toselect a configuration that will enable a tire to be fitted to the wheelwithout damaging the tire or the wheel. Furthermore tire replacement isfacilitated since any one of a plurality of sealing members, each fittedto an individual tire, and preferably already inflated and balanced, canbe assembled with any one wheel.

The invention also provides an assembly of a tire sealing member asdefined above and a wheel having inboard and outboard rim partsreleasably secured together to hold the sealing member in position andinboard and outboard nonrigid torque transfer bands respectively fittedto the inboard and outboard rim parts and with which the annular sealingmember is engaged. The provision of these bands enables the overallweight of the assembly to be minimised.

Reverting to the provision of a safety groove within which a flexibleband is provided (as set out above), in order that tires may be easilyfitted, without damage, to the sealing member, and so that the sealingmember may be of simple and light-weight construction, it can be thesealing member that is provided with this safety groove adjacent itsoutboard edge but so as to be within a tire fitted to the sealingmember, within which groove the flexible band is fitted so that a tirefitted to the sealing member has its outboard bead embraced between thisflexible band and the outboard edge of the sealing member. As the bandis flexible it can be fitted in position by first stretching it over anedge of the sealing member.

Advantageously replaceable sealing members of different widths areprovided, and corresponding spacers are also provided so that anappropriate separation of the inboard and outboard rim parts can beachieved when the rim parts are secured together. In this way differentwidths of tires can be simply accommodated.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the samemay be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way ofexample, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of one half of a vehicle road wheel shownmounted on a vehicle axle and with a tyre fitted to it,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a different form, in which thewheel is a part of a wheel and tire sealing member assembly, and inwhich the tire is fitted to the tire sealing member of this assembly,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tire sealing member of FIG. 2, shownwith a tire fitted to it, and

FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view of the wheel of the assembly ofFIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. 1 the wheel 1 has inboard and outboard rimportions 2A and 2B. In the outboard rim portion 2B, adjacent itsoutboard edge but so as to be within a tire 3 fitted to the wheel, thereis a safety groove 4 in which is fitted a flexible band 5 so that a tyrefitted to the wheel has its outboard bead 6 embraced between theflexible band 5 and the outboard rim edge.

In the form of FIGS. 2 and 3 the safety groove 4 is in a tire sealingmember 7 of annular form that is fitted to the tire 3 and that is heldin position around the wheel by inboard and outboard rim parts 8A, 8Bterminating respective inboard and outboard body parts 9A, 9B, the bodyparts (and hence the rim parts) being releasably secured together, forexample by bolts (not shown) passed through the central parts of thebody parts. In the particular wheel illustrated the rim parts are heldat a particular separation, to suit the width of the sealing member, byspacers 10 interposed between the body parts. In the assembled conditionthe tire sealing member is located around the rim parts 8A, 8B engagedwith torque transfer bands 11 each of which is an interference fit onone or other of the rim parts 8A, 8B. These bands 11 are non-rigid inorder to prevent fretting in operation and to achieve a satisfactoryinterference fit.

As in the case of FIG. 1, the tyre 3 fitted, in the case of FIGS. 2 and3 to the sealing member 7, has its outboard bead 6 embraced between theflexible band 5 in the groove 4 and the outboard rim edge of the wheelwhich, in the case of FIGS. 2 and 3, is defined by the outboard edgeportion of the sealing member 7.

In all cases the axle on which the wheel is mounted is referenced 12.

Due to the provision of the band 5 in the groove 4 the wheel does notrequire safety humps and ledges of excessive height, or safety pegs. Asthe band 5 is flexible it can be fitted by stretching it over the rimedge adjacent the safety groove into which the band fits.

Suitable materials for the band 5 are natural or synthetic rubbers orelastomeric plastics.

In the case of the form of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 the wheel and sealing memberassembly 1/7 is mounted on the vehicle axle 12 in conventional fashion(not illustrated), either so as to be removable as a unit, or in amanner such that the inboard body part 9A can remain on the vehicleafter the outboard body part 9B and the sealing member 7 with its tirehave been removed.

It will be appreciated that the wheel 1 consists of the body parts 9A,9B with their rim parts 8A, 8B and the torque transfer bands 11 fittedthereto, and the spacers 10, as shown in FIG. 4, although the spacers 10can be omitted or replaced by one or more spacers of different width.The tire sealing member 7 is a separate component the width of which issuited to the spacing of the wheel rim parts. Sealing members ofdifferent widths to suit different combinations of spacers, or nospacers at all, can be provided.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the sealing member 7 has fitted to it the tire3 before it is incorporated in the wheel and sealing member assembly1/7. Once the tire is fitted it can be inflated (the location of theinflation vlave being indicated at 13 in FIG. 3) and balanced. Thus aplurality of tyres fitted to sealing members can be prepared forincorporation into wheel/sealing member assemblies 1/7.

As, in use, the sealing member incorporated in the assembly 1/7 issupported by the torque transfer bands 11, the sealing member itselfdoes not have to be sufficiently stiff to withstand the bending androtational stresses generated between the wheel and the tire in use.Thus the sealing member 7 can be of light weight construction and henceis of an inexpensive nature. This is particularly advantageous in thefield of competitive motoring where it is desirable for a selection oftires to be available for fitment to one particular vehicle. As thesealing member is inexpensive a large number of these can have fitted tothem a wide range of tires. A smaller number of wheel/sealing memberassemblies can then be prepared utilising whatever selection from thisrange is desirable on any particular day, cost being minimised becausethe number of wheel components 9A/9B, 10, 11 utilised overall can bekept to a minimum. A further advantage can be gained that isparticularly applicable to competitive motoring if the mounting of thewheel on the vehicle is such that the inboard wheel body part 9A remainsin position on the vehicle when the outboard body part 9B is removed topermit replacement of the sealing member and tyre. In this case thetrack setting remains unchanged when the replacement sealing member andtyre is incorporated into the wheel assembly, unless a tyre of differentwidth is substituted with the spacer(s) 10 therefor appropriatelychanged (or omitted) to suit the different width sealing memberrequired. In this latter case, the track is advantageously automaticallymodified.

The constructional form of the rim parts can be simplified between theseparts do not have to seal the tire, and hence a tire does not have to befitted over them. As has already been mentioned, in a conventional wheelso-called safety humps and ledges are provided with which the tire beadsco-operate so that the tire is retained on the rim. If these humps areincreased in height to the extent necessary to be effective undercompetitive conditions there is the danger that tires will be damaged byover-stretching when fitting them over the humps. The humps can bereplaced by so-called safety pegs but the provision of these createspotential leak-points and stress raisers in the rim. None of thesemeasures is required in the wheel-sealing member assembly 1/7, as thetyre is fitted to the sealing member and the rim parts 8A, 8B have onlyto be designed to retain the sealing member in position in the assembly.The tire during fitting does not have to be stretched over either of therim parts.

The likelihood of a tire bead becoming dislodged is mainly relative tothe outboard rim and with this in mind there is provided, in thewheel/sealing member assembly 1/7, the safety groove 4 in the sealingmember 7 in which is fitted the band 5.

Of the components described, the wheel body parts and rim parts can beformed of metal alloys or rigid plastics; the torque transfer bands canbe formed of natural or synthetic rubbers or elastomeric plastics; thesealing member can be of metal alloys or rigid plastics; and the safetyband can be a hollow or solid band, or a toroidal spring, made of metalalloys or rigid plastics.

What I claim is:
 1. A vehicle road wheel and tire sealing assemblycomprising:an annular integral tire sealing means for receiving both theinner and outer beads of a tire and for sealing the tire for inflation;a vehicle road wheel of split rim form having inboard and outboard rimparts releasably secured together to hold said sealing means in positionaround the rim parts, the sealing member being releasable from the rimparts by separating these parts; and means for transferring torquebetween said annular tire sealing means and said inboard and outboardrim parts consisting solely of resilient means, including inboard andoutboard non-rigid torque transfer bands respectively fitted to theinboard and outboard rim parts and with which inboard and outboard areasof said annular sealing member are respectively engaged to provide apositive but resilient coupling between said wheel and said tire sealingmeans.
 2. A vehicle road wheel and tire sealing member assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is one of a pluralityof tire sealing means that includes tyre sealing means of differentwidths, and wherein the assembly further comprises a plurality ofinterchangeable spacer means for mounting between said inboard andoutboard rim parts to separate them to fit each of said tyre sealingmeans, whereby a separation of the rim parts can be obtained to suit anyparticular tire sealing means.
 3. A vehicle road wheel and tire sealingmeans assembly according to claim 1, wherein the tire sealing means isprovided with a groove adjacent its outboard edge but so as to be withina tire fitted to the sealing means, within which groove a flexible bandis fitted so that a tire fitted to the tire sealing means has itsoutboard bead embraced between the flexible band and the outboard edgeof the tire sealing means.
 4. A vehicle road wheel and tire sealingassembly comprising:an annular integral tire sealing means for receivingboth the inner and outer beads of a tire and for sealing the tire forinflation; a vehicle road wheel of split rim form having inboard andoutboard rim parts releasably secured together to hold said sealingmeans in position around the rim parts, the sealing member beingreleasable from the rim parts by separating these parts; means fortransferring torque between said annular tire sealing means and saidinboard and outboard rim parts consisting solely of parts resilientmeans, including inboard and outboard non-rigid torque transfer bandsrespectively fitted to the inboard and outboard rim parts and with whichinboard and outboard areas of said annular sealing member arerespectively engaged to provide a positive but resilient couplingbetween said wheel and said tire sealing means; and said assemblyincluding means for securing said torque transfer bands to extend bothradially and axially with respect to said tire sealing means and saidinboard and said outboard rim parts.
 5. A vehicle road wheel and tiresealing member assembly according to claim 4, wherein the sealing memberis one of a plurality of tire sealing means that includes tire sealingmeans of different widths, and wherein the assembly further comprises aplurality of interchangeable spacer means for mounting between saidinboard and outboard rim parts to separate them to fit each of said tyresealing means, whereby a separation of the rim parts can be obtained tosuit any particular tire sealing means.
 6. A vehicle road wheel and tiresealing means assembly according to claim 4 wherein the tire sealingmeans is provided with a groove adjacent its outboard edge but so as tobe within a tire fitted to the sealing means, within which groove aflexible band is fitted so that a tire fitted to the tire sealing meanshas its outboard bead embraced between the flexible band and theoutboard edge of the tire sealing means.